Alan Watts makes the great point that we can not determine who we are, what we do and how we live, solely based on our past or ancestry, and must instead seek live more in the present to not just enjoy ourselves but also to lead a fulfilling life.

Many lessons to be learned by the west from Japan as they reached the peak of a huge financial bubble in the late 80s, only to have it burst and experience deflationary recession. Today they've all but recovered, however they still face one of the largest government debts of any nation. In addition, they've had to learn to do more with less, as a new nationalism has emerged.